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Reporters' Notebook / Bits and pieces of news...

OLAF FUB SEZ: According to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, born on this date in 1890, "The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without."

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PUSHING PIEROGIS -- Now that Buffalo once again is one of the five finalists selected for the title "Capital of the Pierogy Pocket of America" awarded by Mrs. T's Pierogies, how do we beat last year's champ, Binghamton, and regain the crown we first wore two years ago?

Simple. We just have to set our computer bookmarks at www.pierogypocket.com and vote for Buffalo once a day for the next 10 days, up until Oct. 24. At stake is a $10,000 prize for a local charity -- namely Corpus Christi Catholic Church on the city's East Side, which hosted Buffalo's Biggest Pierogi Party as part of its application. So cast your first ballot right away.

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CLASH OF THE TITANS -- College football fans don't get much more passionate around here than they do for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Syracuse Orange.

That's why the Rev. Joe Bayne and the Franciscan Center at 1910 Seneca St. in South Buffalo are holding a raffle for four tickets to the Notre Dame-Syracuse game Nov. 22 in South Bend, Ind. Tickets are $10 each. Only 1,000 will be sold. For info, call 822-8017.

REUNION ALERT -- The Kensington High School Class of 1998 will have a reunion Oct. 25 in Millennium Airport Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga. Call Ruby Singh at 830-7831 or e-mail rubysingh@optonlink.net.

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HARD HISTORY -- The War of 1812 took a heavy toll on this area, with the burning of Buffalo being the most dramatic part of it. History teacher Doug Kohler will talk about the war's effects on Fort Niagara and Western New York at a meeting of the Cheektowaga Historical Society at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Alexander Community Center, 275 Alexander St. off Walden Avenue. Admission is free.

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MOVIE MAVENS -- Celebrating another of Buffalo's firsts between 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday will be the Buffalo Film Festival and Ellicott Development Co., owners of Ellicott Square at 295 Main St., where the event will take place. The occasion? The 112th anniversary of the opening of the Vitascope Theater in Ellicott Square, believed to be the first theater specifically designed for movies in the world.

There will be speeches, proclamations, tours and birthday cake, as well as a special commemorative poster on sale to help establish regular showings of Vitascope films and a theater for them in Ellicott Square. Admission is free. ***